The holiday weekend begins...

Happy Independence Day America!

The Gamedogs celebrated a win last night thanks to a great pitching effort by number 5 :)

The van is sporting a great souvenir of the game in the form of a hood dent and

Nora learned to whistle like grandma!

Another beautiful summer evening ballgame

Gavin giving Jake knucks
Ryan at bat
Jake spins for a fouled ball while Ryan plays third and Chad is at short

I have spent the last 20 years watching my husband play baseball. No exaggeration neccessary. We were 15 years old when he was playing Legion ball. Now, I watch my son being the bat boy and wonder how many more years I will be following my boys. They love the game so much. Thank you, Lord, for my boys and for baseball to keep them happy!

not enough and too much

Yesterday I ;

drank 6 cups of coffee*

continued making almost 400 homemade granola bars for the Tour de Kota

hung 4 loads of laundry out to dry :)

hunted frantically for 12 missing important papers that will never be found

drove 2 big kids to dentist appointments that will eventually lead to 4 teeth being pulled, the crowning of 3 teeth and 1 tooth filled

returned items to the $100 store and bought a strapless bra that I intend to wear but never really will

guzzled 1 bottle of water in the car*

got a call that the 50 new uniform t's for the Pee Wee's will be done for the game today

sort of called 1 wonderful mom friend to take 1 big girl to game in Alexandria at same time as the Pee Wee game

attended 1 Pee Wee game where 1 big boy played catcher and he beamed the whole time

bought one 6 pack of favorite bottled beer from the gas station* on the way to

1 very windy and cool temperatured(not a word, but I don't care)Dad ballgame in a very lonely ballpark in Humboldt

found exactly 0 bottle openers + 0 koozie in the van which resulted in = 0 beers drank during ballgame

husband visited with 1 player after the game that informed me of 6 twist topped beer bottles (that were warm by this time) sitting in my van :)

sigh... sipped 1 lukewarm bottle of beer at the ballpark*

drove 10 miles with one screaming very tired baby to pick up

1 big girl who was waiting patiently after her ballgame was rained out

tucked 4 tired kids into bed

observed 1 exhausted 'coming off 3 night shifts and pitched a great game' dad asleep on the couch, snoring

woke up this morning with a screaming headache and the most awful dehydrated mommy tummy cramps*

*duh, drink more water busy mommy

Saucy...

Sassy...

Saucy...

Sassy...

Sassy...

Spices...what's in YOUR cabinet?

It's project season here and the man is really working. Last week he made me new shelves in my spice cabinet and a storage space for my canned goods, he made a bench for my mom out of freecycle decking, he helped me with the corn and the pickles and the spaghetti sauce and he cleaned the garage. Then he messed it all up again.

We also had the end of the season baseball party with a retirement and good bye to Mr. J boy and his family. It was a nice time. My kids got a little sassy near the end and I had to cut the pomegranate daiquiri time a little too short but I know there will be more good times with my friends even though home base will be in a new spot for them.

This weekend is the SpudFest, (that's one word with a capital letter in the middle - spellcheck hates it). It will be busy with activities and we have reunions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. So I will be cooking, for those potluck dinners as well. Then school starts on Monday when we are good and tired from a jam packed summer.

Summer lovin'

Say hello to my little friends. A local welder does these adorable flowers and dragon flies. I LOVE them. Got some for my sister for her birthday. He's got some three times this size, too. Like 'em? Call Rion at 363-3184. Tell him Rani told you about his metal lawn art. The columbine has pretty much taken over this part of the landscaping. I need to do some moving around I think.

Can't remember what this is called but it has also completely taken over my landscaping near the garage. I do like the purple, though.

The big kids went fishing with dad today. See the BIG fish they caught? Squint if you can't. Yep fish appetizers here today:) Dad was cleaning it and Lee says, only two tiny pieces? Dad laughed.

One of my free perennials. Thanks Grandpa Geno! It's beautiful. It's a golden something or other.

Another freebie...no idea what it is but them yellow flowers sure are fancy.

This is called Yarrow, I think. Mom gave it to me. It has gotten completely out of control. I have no idea what to do about it. I hate doing plant abortions. I have got to find somewhere more appropriate for this stuff.

The garden in it's entirety, is that a word?

Rhubarb, spinach, lettuce and carrots and onions that need to be weeded, badly :( At the end past the peonies there is some dill growing and then some big onions.

Here's a shot of the cukes and the melons and more big onions.

Strawberries with feet? Wonky, I tell ya. Dern camera doesn't focus real well one -handed.

Double berry goodness!

Beautiful berries, if you look close enough you can see a critter bite on the red one.

The garden is sure filling out with this warm weather we're having. We have a strawberry patch and if we can get to 'em before the critters, they taste mighty fine. They are pretty wonky looking berries, we got double berries and footed berries but no real regular looking berries, hmmm.

Hope you are getting some sweet summer lovin' at your garden, too!

Weekend wind down

The season of stay up too late, get up too early, no time for anything but a frozen pizza is in full swing at our house. I feel a step behind and a few days late for everything I do.

I tried my hand at couponing again this week. Thought I was prepared for the mega deals until my distracted mommy brain ran a red light. Luckily I was alone in the intersection but the guilt and the fear of the in the mail ticket sort of 'rained' on my coupon deal parade. Averaging the cost of a ticket with the amount saved didn't really help matters. I was in the red, literally. Then, in my guilty haste I bought my son one size one shoe and one size three. The shopping trip was doomed from the start when I forgot some valuable coupons at home and called a friend to try and print them for me. I should have just turned around right then and went back home.

Spent some time at the ball park chasing three kids while holding one. I was on the verge of becoming 'mean crabby mommy' when a simple compliment from a stranger completely reversed my mood. He said, "how old is your blondie, she is precious". Then he proceeded to ooh and aah about how wonderful toddlers are when they are mobile and you have to run around after them. He explained how he and his wife have a 18 month old girl who exhausts them. But, he went on to explain how joyful they are because they also have a 5 year old boy who was born with cerebral palsy and has never even rolled over, let alone moved his legs.

The lump in my throat was hard to swallow as my brain slowly processed what God was trying to tell me. Did I still want to complain about being worn out from holding and chasing my four beautiful, healthy, miraculously made children? Um, nope. I'm good. Thanks for the reminder, heavenly Father, I heard you this time, loud and clear.

Speaking of fathers... hope all of you daddy's had a wonderful day. Chase your kids for a few minutes to remember how awesome they are, will ya?

Fun in the sun...finally!

Poor Lou Lou missed all the fun, she was napping inside with daddy.
the final stretch...

thirsty?

Today was HOT! It was so sticky out, my goodness. We just HAD to play in the water. Ad was pretty skeptical at first. She wouldn't even let me put her suit on for a long time. Then she wanted to hold the hose while the pool was filling. An hour later she was playing in the muddy grass by the slipnslide. Of course I put the pictures on last first because that 's how I do it. I am using my new, I mean dad's new camera. It is a lot different than the old cybershot. I am trying out all the new settings. I'll get the hang of it, sooner or later.

Happy Wednesday!

SCORE!

Man, I scored this weekend.

I sold over $100 of stuff at the garage sale so I bought daddy a couple of really cool father's day gifts.

Wanna see what he got?

Check it out, here!

You know I got him the pink one, don't you? Don't tell him, it's a surprise.

3-2-1 summer countdown

almost all of us...
at the swimming beach, Lake Mitchell
"putting up" with Bobbi

that's a happy baby

We are BUSY, whew!

Since school starts on Wednesday we are trying to cram in a whole summer's worth of family time into one weekend and a couple of days. This past weekend we camped in Mitchell and watched the State amateur baseball tournament. The kids also enjoyed swimming and fishing with dad while I commuted back and forth between dr. appt's. and other commitments. We got home last night and I had to put it in hard gear to get working on the parade for the Spud Fest this weekend (I have meal {catered traditional Irish meal from 6-7 p.m.- roast beef, potatoes and carrots} tickets for sale if you need them - $7 for school age and up). Today, alone, dad or I drove to Sioux Falls three separate times. That is just plain nuts. Happy First Week of School everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Crankmeister

I'm cranky.

Can't explain it...just am.

Trying to think of a reason why just accentuates all the reasons I shouldn't be.

Had a few friends over for a get-together Friday night and everything went swell. The food was awesome. I love potlucks. I even got compliments on my toilet paper. The hubby put together a makeshift fire pit that we thought we might actually market until we tore it apart and found the 'hot' had burned through the quarter inch plywood and into the yard. It made me laugh. No where near being crabby.

#3 is moving and grooving (no crawling yet but dh informs me 'none of our kids crawled before they walked' huh?) but those adorable blue eyes and her cute button nose melt me every time I look at her. Even after a long night of crying and whining through teething she is still my little sunshine. I am so blessed I dare not get cranky about receiving another chance to be a mommy.

#1 is growing up so fast. She is a huge help. I don't know what I would do without her. She still complains of tummy aches almost every day (which I have attributed to growing pains?!?!) and still walks in her sleep (this past week she opened the patio door and went outside). She is so thoughtful and reminds me every time I slip up and yell that "you don't really mean that mom, that's just the devil talking" I think she understands temptation better than I do. She is saving pennies for a double stroller, a wagon to pull the babies in and a family trip to Disney. I can't hardly be cranky about that.

#2 is in heaven. It's baseball season. Daddy's team pulled themselves up to the fourth ranking spot (from ranking 8th) in three wins. My little boy understands the game so much better this year and he is only four. "Sometimes daddy doesn't win." He states, matter of factly. He gets it. He is still a little too young (and slow) to get the foul balls. He is caught between wanting to be a big kid yet still needing to be a little boy. It sometimes stresses me out. I have to watch him learn how to deal with the circumstances of life. He idolizes his father, going so far as waiting until dh gets dressed to find a matching outfit. I love him to pieces. I don't want him to grow up. Thank the Lord for my October babies. I get another year with them before giving them up to kindergarten. Absolutely no crankiness here.

Dh is super busy between baseball and work. Half the time I feel like a single parent. Hint of crabbiness here. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. Now, at least I have the kids to keep me company.This year we have already gotten one camping weekend in and a couple of family afternoons. I actually feel pretty lucky.

I am doing wonderful. No complaints. #4 is kicking up a storm and I feel tired but healthy. I had my first painful pregnancy charlie horse in the middle of the night Saturday and my husband said, "I thought you were going into labor".

The weather is beautiful. My house is fairly clean. No car is in the shop. The lawnmower is working and the garden is growing. I have nothing to complain about.

I don't know why I feel like staying in bed all day, but I do.

A Pee Party?

Golden Showers Garden Party

The Crunchy Chicken has another challenge. The comments suggest using diluted urine on your garden could help your produce PRODUCE!

Hmmmm...

Not sure I am up to the challenge but, we may have people over that weekend. Do you think if I asked them to pee in a bucket (for the good of the earth) they would call me crazy?

Probably.

Where in the world is Waxahachie?

My auntie's and my mom.

My sister and my auntie with adorable little Belle.
The trip was a success, but it's always good to be home. Waxahachie, as well as the entire South, I suppose, is full of these beautiful trees called Crepe Myrtle's.

The name made me think of French food; my sister said she thought of crepe paper, which is exactly what the flowers looked like up close.

We went 'junk'shopping (as auntie calls it) on Saturday and found these really interesting book purses. I wanted one, but I am picky and want a classic Dr. Suess book or novel to wear around :)



We spent late Friday afternoon at a lake near auntie's house. The water was perfect.

Mom and my sister spent most of their free time riding these. My uncle has a large chunk of land with a gorgeous landscape that is fun to observe while riding. I, of course, restrained. Being 30 weeks pregnant forces one to do so. Ah well, there is always next year...

Deep in the heart...

It's a bit before 5 am here in Waxahachie and I am awake due to some acid indigestion and a bit of a grumbly tummy. Most everyone else has just barely climbed into bed. It tends to be this way when mom gets together with her sisters. I can't imagine being in a family with 5 sisters. There are only 3 of them here now and it get a bit loud and unruly at times.

Despite the Internet guestimation of 14 hours, it took us closer to 18 in our 2008 Saturn Outlook to travel here on Thursday. We left a little after 5 am and arrived here shortly after 11 pm. Partly because my sister decided to take us a scenic route in Iowa, partly because my bladder is the size of my pre-pregnancy pinky. We stopped twice to eat at small diners along the way. The rest of our stops were at gas stations to use the facilities and fill up the enormous vehicle. The third row seats fold down and so do the second row, so we folded the back seat half way and made a bed of pillows to take turns sleeping on. It wasn't too uncomfortable. I had the pleasure of driving through Oklahoma City and it was extremely busy, my desire to stay at the speed limit and my mother's desire to keep up with the flow of traffic forced my 'turn' to expire quickly. I may not be allowed to drive on the way home...aw shucks.

We went straight to the sheets Thursday night and arose Friday morning to the sound of a tiny whine. It seems one of Auntie's 10 puppies had taken to a fever and wasn't doing well. She called around and finally got an emergency appointment with a veterinarian. It seems little Belle (who is only 10 weeks old, weighs less than a pound and is already sold to a potential buyer for 2000 clams) has low blood sugar. In fact, her blood sugar level was 14 when normal levels are above 40. We were forced to give her 1cc of karo syrup and water every 15 minutes all day. I do believe that Auntie just finished a dose in fact. She seems to be perking up and hopefully come day light she will be a new pup. Unfortunately, this breed of Yorkie sometimes has problems with liver function and the poor thing may require surgery to place a stint near her liver. She is so tiny and even full-grown may not even tip the scales at 3 pounds.

Belle came with us everywhere yesterday. We went to the market for some fresh food, to Walgreen's for a prescription and to the lake for an afternoon swim.

I experienced a first. Since the county that Auntie lives in is 'dry'. Several surrounding counties market unique ways to sell alcohol. Needing some cool beverages for the lake, we put an empty cooler in the car and drove to the rear of a convenience store where there was a 'garage' of sorts with wall to wall coolers of beer, wine and beverages. Upon entering the garage we popped open the hatchback and a girl in a tube top and shorty shorts walked up to the drivers window and took our order. She then proceeded to fill the cooler with the drinks and topped it off with 5 gallon bucket of free ice. She shut the back and off we went.

We drove past fields of cotton today. The first time I saw cotton was in Mo., when I was a teenager. I would like to stop and get a sample for my daughter to share with her kindergarten class for show and tell. It is pretty green here yet, they don't harvest it until late September or October, but the little white tufts of cotton are just peeking from the pods and it looks beautiful in the fields.

In a few hours we are going to the Farmer's Market to see the local produce and arts. We also plan to meet my mother's aunt and her cousin for lunch in Dallas. It is an hours drive from here.
Tonight my uncle is making his famous barbecue ribs and we plan to eat and relax as we are leaving after breakfast Sunday morning.

My poor sister has not been feeling 100% and believes she may have caught a bug or something. Last night while sitting outside enjoying the 80 degree evening breeze she was wearing a sweater. I called home to check on things and my ds has not been feeling well either. I feel a twinge of guilt for not being there to take care of him, but I know my dh is doing a fine job. While we were traveling here on Thursday he managed to make another batch of salsa and take the kids fishing. Yesterday, my dd was on the phone telling me, "daddy was late picking me up from school..." I could only imagine her standing outside the building looking up the block with her hands on her hips. I have no idea where she gets it from. I am pretty sure he has his hands full. I have complete confidence my children will be fine...the house? now that's an entirely different story.

Well, it's almost 5:30 and the snoring dogs are reminding me I should be resting. I was going to try and put a photo of beautiful Belle on here, but I don't think I brought the right power cord for doing it. I will ask my computer whiz sis in the morning if she is up to it.